Fatehpur Sikri [*IGNCA*,
with discussion]; [*Washington
State Univ.*, with discussion]; [*Routes*];
[*ANU:
main index page*]; [*Berger*];
[*DSAL*]
is the famous deserted city, about twenty-three miles from Agra, built
by Akbar. It was formerly merely a village, called Sikri, celebrated as
the abode of Sheikh Salîm Chishti, a Muhammadan *pîr*,
or saint. In 1564, Akbar, returning from a campaign, halted near the cave
in which the saint lived. The twin children of his Rajput wife, Mariam
Zamâni, had recently died, and he was anxious for an heir. He consulted
the holy man, who advised him to come and live at Sikri. The Emperor did
so, and nine months afterwards Mariam, who was taken to Chishti's cell
for her confinement, gave birth to a son, afterwards the Emperor Jahangir.
He was called Sultan Salîm in honour of the saint. Jahangir, who
describes all these circumstances in his memoirs, adds: "My revered father,
regarding the village of Sikri, my birthplace, as fortunate to himself,
made it his capital, and in the course of fourteen or fifteen years the
hills and deserts, which abounded in beasts of prey, became converted into
a magnificent city, comprising numerous gardens, elegant edifices and pavilions,
and other places of great attraction and beauty. After the conquest of
Gujarat, the village was named Fatehpur (the town of victory)."

The glory of Fatehpur Sikri was short-lived.
Akbar held his court there for seventeen years, and then removed it to
Agra; some say on account of the badness of the water supply, others that
the saint, disturbed in his devotions by the bustle and gaieties of the
great city, declared that either he or Akbar must go. "Then," replied the
Emperor, "let it be your servant, I pray." The entire city was given up
to the beasts of the surrounding jungle. Finch, who visited it in the early
part of the next reign, describes it: "Ruin all; lying like a waste desert,
and very dangerous to pass through in the night." This, however, was an
exaggeration, for the principal buildings are still in a good state of
preservation, probably owing to the remoteness of the place from any great
highway or large town.

The city, which was some six miles in circuit,
was surrounded on three sides by high battlemented walls, which had nine
gateways. The fourth side was formed by a great artificial lake, now dry.
The principal buildings are on the summit of the high ridge which runs
throughout the length of the city.The Agra Gate.-- The
visitor usually enters by the Agra Gate, concerning which an amusing story
is told. One night Akbar, attended by some of his ministers, was inspecting
the ramparts near this gate, when he observed a highway robbery being committed
close by the walls. Turning severely to those responsible for the peace
of the city, he demanded why such an outrage was permitted in the very
presence of the Emperor. "It is always darkest directly under the shadow
of the lamp," was the courtly reply.The Naubat Khana.--
Inside the gate the road passes, by the right, a large quadrangle surrounded
by a ruined cloister, which was probably used for barracks. Beyond this
the road was formerly lined on both sides by the houses of the bazar. It
next passes through the inner gateway, called the *Naubat
Khana*, or Music House, where, as in all Mogul fortresses, the court
musicians played to announce the Emperor's arrival or departure, and various
state ceremonials.The Mint.-- Some distance
beyond the Naubat Khana, on the right, is a large building believed to
have been the Imperial Mint. Rare specimens of gold, silver, and copper
coins from the Fatehpur Mint are in the British Museum. The brick domes
of this building are interesting, as they are probably the earliest examples
in India of the use of radiating courses instead of horizontal layers in
dome construction.

Opposite to the Mint is a smaller building
known as the Treasury.The Daftar Khana.--
Passing through the great quadrangle of the Dîwan-i-âm, the
visitor arrives at the Daftar Khana, or Record Chamber, now adapted for
a travellers' rest-house. This was Akbar's office, and is immediately opposite
to his own sanctum, the Kwâbgâh, and the principal buildings
of the Imperial Palace. A staircase in the south-east room leads to the
roof, from which a fine view of the city and surrounding country can be
obtained. The principal buildings can be easily identified by help of the
plan.The Palace.-- A door
in the side of the quadrangle, opposite to the Daftar Khana, leads into
Akbar's palace, the Mahal-i-Khas. The two-storied building on the left
on entering contains Akbar's private apartments. The first room on the
ground floor is panelled into numerous recesses for keeping books, documents,
or valuables. There are some remains of painted decoration representing
flowers, such as the tulip, poppy, and almond flower, executed with much
vigour and technical skill. Behind this is a chamber which, according to
Edmund Smith, was used by a Hindu priest attached to Akbar's court. It
contains a stone platform raised on pillars, upon which he is said to have
performed his devotions. It was more probably intended for Akbar's own
*gaddi*, or throne. A door
in the west wall leads into the cloisters, which formerly connected Akbar's
apartments with the Daftar Khana and with Jodh Bai's palace.The Kwâbgâh[*ANU:
Khvabgah*], or sleeping apartment, is a small pavilion on the roof.
Originally the walls were entirely covered by fresco paintings, but only
a few fragments now remain. Unfortunately, these have been protected by
a coat of varnish, which reduces them all to a dull monochrome. It is to
be regretted that a more scientific method of preserving them was not adopted.
They are all in the Persian style, and, except for the Chinese element
which is often present in Persian art, there is no ground for Edmund Smith's
supposition that Chinese artists were employed here.

On the side window over the eastern doorway
is a painting of a winged figure, in front of a rock cave, supporting a
new-born babe in its arms. In all probability it refers to the birth of
Jahangir in the cell of the Saint Salîm Chishti, which Akbar no doubt
thought miraculous. Many archæologists make the great mistake of
attributing every winged figure in these decorations to some Biblical story.
Heavenly beings with wings, the inhabitants of Paradise, spirits of the
air, or "angels," are very common in Persian and Indian painting, and are
by no means a monopoly of European artists.

It is known that Akbar took a great interest
in painting. Abul Fazl, in the "Ain-i-Akbari," states that "His Majesty
from the earliest youth has shown a great predilection for the art, and
gives it every encouragement, as he looks upon it as a means both of study
and amusement. Hence the art flourishes, and many painters have obtained
great reputations. The works of all painters are weekly laid before his
Majesty by the Daroghas and the clerks; he confers rewards according to
the excellence of workmanship, or increases their monthly salaries. Much
progress was made in the commodities required by painters, and the correct
prices of such articles were carefully ascertained."

Akbar himself remarked, "Bigoted followers
of the law are hostile to the art of painting, but their eyes now see the
truth. There are many that hate painting, but such men I dislike. It appears
to me as if a painter had a peculiar means of recognizing God; for a painter,
in sketching anything that has life and in drawing its limbs, must feel
that he cannot bestow personality upon his work, and is thus forced to
think of God, the giver of life, and will thus increase his knowledge."
The enlightened court of Akbar was evidently a paradise for artists.

Opposite to Akbar's apartments is a large
square tank with a platform in the centre, approached by four narrow stone
paths. The tank was filled from the waterworks near the Elephant Gate,
and the water was kept constantly fresh by an overflow channel connecting
with the tank at the back of the Dîwan-i-Khâs.The Turkish Sultana's House.--
In the north-east angle of the Mahal-i-Khas quadrangle is a small, picturesque
building, one of the gems of Fatehpur, called the Turkish Sultana's House
[*ANU:
panorama including the Turkish Sultana's House*]. It contains only
a single apartment, surrounded by a verandah, but in the carving of every
surface within and without there is a wealth of invention and decorative
skill rarely achieved even by the Mogul artists. The dado panels are especially
remarkable for the charming conventionalized rendering of trees, flowers,
birds, and animals. They have suffered much from the hands of some of Aurangzîb's
fanatical followers, and all the representations of animate nature have
been mutilated. The carving was intended as a groundwork for painting and
gilding which were never added, for the Fatehpur Palace was abandoned even
before it was finished. Nothing is known with certainty of the lady who
inhabited this delightful bower, but she must have been one of Akbar's
favourites. A covered passage connected the house with the Kwâbgâh,
and also with another block of buildings of no special interest, known
as the Girls' School.Hakim's Baths.-- A staircase
from the south verandah leads down to some interesting baths outside the
south-west corner of the Dîwan-i-âm quadrangle, which were
probably for the use of the Turkish Sultana. They are worth seeing, though
not so fine as the so-called Hakim's Baths. The latter, which are situated
just opposite to these baths, on the steep slope of the ridge, are the
finest of their kind existing in India. They form an extensive hydropathic
establishment, decorated in the most excellent taste with polished plaster
and sgraffito, or cut-plaster work. Undoubtedly they were used by
Akbar himself, and they derive their present name from their close proximity
to the quarters occupied by the Hakims, or doctors.Pachisi Board.-- In
the northern half of the great palace quadrangle is a pachisi board cut
on the pavement, similar to the one in the Samman Burj in the Agra Fort.
Here Akbar and the ladies of the Court would amuse themselves by playing
the game with slave girls as living pieces. The dice were thrown on the
small platform in the centre of the board.The Dîwan-i-Khâs.--
Further towards the north, immediately opposite to the Kwâbgâh,
is a square detached building, a fine example of the dignified style of
the period, for it owes none of its effects to imposing dimensions, but
only to the skill with which the architect has treated a difficult subject.
This is the Dîwan-i-Khâs [*ANU:
views of the Divan-e Khas*], or Hall of Private Audience. On the
outside it would appear to be a two-storied building, but on entering it
is seen to contain only a single vaulted chamber, surrounded halfway up
by a gallery. A magnificent carved column, with a gigantic bracket capital,
standing alone in the centre of the chamber, supports four branches or
railed passages, which meet this gallery at the four corners. This most
original construction carried Akbar's throne, which was placed immediately
over the great column. The ministers attended at the four corners of the
gallery; the great nobles and others admitted to the audience thronged
the floor beneath. The gallery is approached by two staircases, in the
thickness of the walls, which also lead up to the roof./14/The Ankh-Michauli.--
Close by the Dîwan-i-Khâs, on the west side, is a building
which the native guides, always ready to amuse the innocent tourist, describe
as the Ankh-Michauli [*Platts*],
or "Blind-man's Buff House." There is a legend that Akbar here played hide-and-seek
with the ladies of the zanana. The same story is told about a set of apartments
in the Jahangiri Mahal in the Agra Fort, but the only ground for it seems
to be that the arrangement of the rooms might lend itself to such diversions.
It most probably contained strong-rooms for the safe custody of valuables,
either state archives or jewels.The Yogi's Seat.-- At
the corner of the Ankh-Michauli is a square platform covered by a domed
canopy. The great carved brackets which support the architraves are very
characteristic of Jaina construction. This was the seat of one of the Yogis,
or Hindu fakirs, who enjoyed the Emperor's favour. Akbar devoted much attention
to the occult powers claimed by these men. He even practised alchemy and
showed in public some of the gold made by him.The Hospital.-- Adjoining
the Ankh-Michauli are the remains of a long, low building, which was the
hospital; a few of the wards still remain. Possibly this was arranged on
the model of the hospital which Akbar allowed the Jesuit Fathers to build
in the city. He also permitted them to construct a small chapel. The records
of the missionaries tell us that Akbar once came there alone, removed his
turban and offered prayers, first kneeling in the Christian manner, then
prostrating himself according to the Muhammadan custom, and, finally, after
the ritual of the Hindus. One of the Christian congregation having died
about this time, he granted permission for the funeral procession to pass
through the streets of Fatehpur with all the ceremonies of the Catholic
faith. Many of the inhabitants, both Hindus and Muhammadans, attended the
funeral. Akbar was never persuaded to become a convert to Christianity,
nor does there appear to be any ground for the belief that one of his wives
was a Christian.The Dîwan-i-âm.--
The west side of the Dîwan-i-âm (Hall of Public Audience) and
its cloisters coincide for the whole length with the east of the palace
quadrangle. The description already given of the Dîwan-i-âm
at Agra will explain the functions for which this building was intended.
The throne, or judgment seat, of Akbar was placed between two pierced stone
screens in the verandah in front of the hall.The Panch Mahal.-- This
curious five-storied pavilion [*ANU:
views of the Panch Mahal*] is nearly opposite to the Dîwan-i-âm.
It is approached by a staircase from the Mahal-i-khas. Each story was originally
enclosed by pierced stone screens; this, and the fact that the whole building
overlooked the palace zanana, make it tolerably certain that it could only
have been used as a promenade by Akbar and the ladies of the court. The
ground-floor, which was divided into cubicles by screens between the columns,
may; as Keene suggests, have been intended for the royal children and their
attendants. The building is chiefly remarkable for the invention and taste
shown in the varied designs of the columns, in which the three principal
styles of Northern India, the Hindu, Jain, and Saracenic, are indiscriminately
combined.Miriam's Kothi.-- Another
doorway in the west side of the palace quadrangle leads to Miriam's House,
a very elegant two-storied building showing marked Hindu feeling in the
design. The Râma incarnation of Vishnu appears on one of the carved
brackets of the verandah. It seems to have derived its name from Akbar's
Hindu wife, Mariam Zamâni, the mother of Jahangir. Her name
literally means "Mary of the age," a common designation used by Muhammadan
women in honour of the Mother of Jesus. This has led to the fable that
the house was occupied by a Christian wife of Akbar. The whole building
was originally covered with fresco paintings and gilding, and was hence
called the Sonahra Makân [*ANU:
views of the Sunehra Makan*], or "Golden House." The frescoes are
supposed to illustrate Firdousi's great epic, the Shahnama, or history
of the Kings of Persia. As in the Kwâbgâh, the fragments which
remain have been covered with varnish as a preservative, which has had
the effect of destroying all the charm of colour they once possessed; and
will eventually, when the varnish turns brown with age, obliterate them
altogether. The paintings are all in the style of the Persian artists who
were employed by Akbar to illustrate his books and to paint the portraits
of his Court. Over the doorway in the north-west angle of the building
is a painting which the guides, perhaps misled by the suggestion of some
uninformed traveller, point out as "the Annunciation."

There would be nothing primâ facie improbable
that Akbar should have caused some events of Biblical history to be painted
on the walls of his palaces; but on the other hand, there is nothing whatever
to connect this fresco with the Annunciation. The winged figures here represented
are of the type commonly found in paintings of stories from Persian mythology.

Perhaps the most interesting of all the paintings
is a portrait in a panel in one of the rooms. One would like to know whether
this was the lady of the house; but there seems to be no tradition connected
with it.

Judging from the style of the frescoes, it
would seem probable that this was not the residence of Mariam Zamâni,
but of one of Akbar's first two wives, whose connections were mostly with
Persia.Jodh Bai's Palace.

Though "Miriam's House" is generally regarded
as the abode of Mariam Zâmâni, there is a great deal to support
the view that the spacious palace known as Jodh Bai's Mahal [*ANU:
views of Jodh Bai's Palace*], or Jahangiri Mahal, was really her
residence. It is undoubtedly one of the oldest buildings in Fatehpur.

We know that Akbar went there on Mariam's
account; and, after Jahangir's birth, Akbar's first care would be to build
a palace for the mother and her child, his long-wished-for heir. Mariam
was a Hindu, and this palace in all its construction and nearly all its
ornamentation belongs to the Hindu and Jaina styles of Mariam's native
country, Rajputana. It even contains a Hindu temple./15/
It is also the most important of all the palaces, and Mariam, as mother
of the heir-apparent, would take precedence of all the other wives.

On the left of the entrance is a small guard-house.
A simple but finely proportioned gateway leads through a vestibule into
the inner quadrangle. The style of the whole palace is much less ornate
than the other zanana buildings, but it is always dignified and in excellent
taste. It must be remembered that the severity of the architectural design
was relieved by bright colouring and rich *purdahs*,
which were used to secure privacy for the ladies of the zanana and to diminish
the glare of the sunlight.

Archæologically its construction and
ornamentation are very interesting. Many of the details are of Jain origin,
and of the same type as the mixed Jain and Saracenic style, which was being
developed about the same period in Gujarat. The arrangements of the palace
are shown in the annexed plan. One of the most interesting features is
the Hawa Mahal, a pavilion projecting from the north side, enclosed by
pierced stone screens. Here the ladies could enjoy the cool breezes and
the view of the lake with the distant hills beyond, without being exposed
to the vulgar gaze. The palace was formerly connected with Akbar's private
apartments by a covered way, supported on pillars, near the entrance. This
was removed some years ago. Another private passage led from the Hawa Mahal
to the zanana garden opposite, and, probably, from thence right down to
the tower known as the Hiran Minâr.Rajah Birbal's House, or Birbal's
Daughter's House.

Rajah Birbal was a Brahman minstrel, who came
to Akbar's court in the beginning of his reign, and by his wit and abilities
gained the Emperor's favour. He was first created Hindu Poet Laureate;
from that dignity he was raised to the rank of Rajah, and became one of
Akbar's most intimate friends and advisers. Birbal was one of those who
subscribed to Akbar's new religion, "The Divine Faith." When he perished
in an unfortunate expedition against some unruly Afghan tribes, Akbar's
grief was for a long time inconsolable.

The house which is named after him was originally
enclosed within the precincts of the imperial zanana, and a covered way
connected it with Jodh Bai's palace. It is one of the most richly decorated
of all the adjacent buildings, and next to Jodh Bai's palace, the largest
of the imperial residences. As in so many other instances, the vague local
tradition which assigns this palace to Rajah Birbal seems to be at fault.
Abul Fazl, that most careful and precise biographer, records that Akbar
ordered a palace to be built for the Rajah, and that when it was finished
in the twenty-seventh year of his reign (1582) the Emperor honoured it
with his presence. An inscription discovered by Edmund Smith upon the capital
of a pilaster in the west façade of the building, states that it
was erected in Samvat 1629 (A.D. 1572), ten years before this date, and
three years after the commencement of the city.

Though the Rajah was one of Akbar's most trusted
friends, his palace would hardly be placed within the enclosure of the
Emperor's own zanana and connected with it; nor is it likely that Akbar
would provide Birbal with a residence so incomparably more magnificent
than those he gave to his other two intimate friends, Abul Fazl and Faizi,
by the side of the great mosque.

All the probabilities are that this was one
of the imperial palaces occupied by Akbar's wives, which were the first
buildings erected at Fatehpur. Fergusson's assumption that Birbal's daughter
was one of Akbar's wives would explain everything; but the fact that Abul
Fazl makes no mention of such a daughter, is very good evidence that Akbar
was not connected with Birbal by marriage.

The house is a two-storied building, splendidly
ornamented with carving, both inside and out. From the construction, it
would appear that Hindus were the architects; but the decoration, from
which it is easy to discover the taste of the occupants, is nearly all
Arabian or Persian in style, and conveys no suggestion that the palace
was built for a Hindu rajah or his daughter. Though on a much smaller scale,
it is of the same type as Akbar's splendid palace in the Agra Fort, and
was evidently intended for one of the highest rank in the imperial zanana./16/The Hathi Pol and Adjoining
Buildings.

Close under Birbal's house is the main road
leading down to the great lake--now drained, the embankment of which formed
the north-west boundary of the city. It passes through the gateway called
the Hathi Pol, or Elephant Gate, from the two great stone elephants, mutilated
by Aurangzîb, standing on either side of the outer archway. On the
left of the gateway are two buildings, the so-called Pigeon's House, probably
intended for a magazine; and the Sangin Burj, a great bastion supposed
to be part of the fortifications begun by Akbar and left unfinished, owing
to the objections of Shaikh Salîm Chishti. A little beyond this,
on the right, are the remains of the waterworks which supplied the whole
city. Opposite to these, is the great traveller's rest-house, or Karwân-serai,
in a very ruined state.

The, furthest of this block of buildings is
a curious tower called the Hiran Minâr, or Deer Tower, 72 feet in
height, ornamented with stone imitations of elephant tusks. According to
tradition, it was built by Akbar in memory of a favourite elephant, and
used by him as a shooting tower; the plain on the margin of the lake being
the haunt of antelope and other game.

The splendid stretch of water, six miles long
and two in breadth, induced many of the princes and nobles to build pavilions
and garden houses on this side of the city. This was the place for great
tournaments and festivities, and in the palmy days of Fatehpur all the
chivalry of the Mogul Court must have made a brave show here. The Hiran
Minâr was connected with the zanana by a covered way, so that the
ladies might assist at these spectacles and enjoy the cool breezes from
the lake.The Jâmi Masjid, or Cathedral
Mosque.

The great mosque [*ANU:
views of the Jama Masjid*] of Fatehpur is worthy of its founder's
lofty ideals and nobility of soul. It is one of the most magnificent of
all Akbar's buildings; the historic associations connected with it combine
with its architectural splendour to make it one of the most impressive
of its kind in the world. It is said to be copied from one at Mecca; but
this cannot be altogether true, because, though the plan and general design
follow Muhammadan precedent, many of the details show Akbar's Hindu proclivities.

Within the great mosque, Akbar frequently
held religious discussions with the learned doctors of Islam; and here,
also, after the chief Mullahs had signed the famous document which declared
Akbar to be Head of the Church, the Emperor mounted the pulpit, and stood
before the congregation as the expounder of "the Divine Faith." He commenced
to read a Khutbah, or litany, which Faizi, Abul Fazl's brother, had composed
for the occasion--

"The Lord, who gave to us dominion,Wisdom, and heart and strength,Who guided us in truth and right,And cleansed our mind from all but right,None can describe His power or state,Allahú Akbar-- God is Great."

But before he could finish three lines of it,
the sense of the tremendous responsibility he had undertaken overpowered
him. He descended the pulpit trembling with emotion, and left the Imam
of the mosque to continue the service.

There are two entrances, approached by broad
flights of steps. The one on the east side is the Emperor's Gate, by which
Akbar entered the mosque from the palace, and the other, the majestic Baland
Darwaza, or High Gate, which towers above everything on the south side,
and even dwarfs the mosque itself with its giant proportions. The latter
gate, however, was not a part of the original design, but was added many
years after the completion of the mosque, to celebrate Akbar's victorious
campaign in the Deccan.

The mosque itself was built in honour of the
Saint of Fatehpur, Sheikh Salîm Chishti, whose tomb, enclosed in
a shrine of white marble, carved with the delicacy of ivory-work, glitters
like silver on the right of the quadrangle. Barren women, both Hindu and
Muhammadan, tie bits of string or shreds of cloth to the marble trellis-work
as tokens that if blessed with a son they will present an offering to the
shrine. Close by is a plainer, but much larger mausoleum, for his grandson,
Nawab Islam Khan, who was made Governor of Bengal by Jahangir. This also
contains the remains of many other of the Sheikh's male descendants. A
separate vault, called the Zanana Rauza, for the women of his family is
formed by enclosing a portion of the adjoining cloisters.

The mosque proper contains three chapels,
crowned by domes. The principal one, in the centre, is screened by the
façade of the entrance, the doorway being recessed, in the usual
style of Saracenic buildings, in a great porch or semi-dome. An inscription
over the main archway gives the date of the completion of the mosque as
A.D. 1571. The chapels are connected with each other by noble colonnades
of a decidedly Hindu or Jain character. The Saracenic arches combine most
happily with the Hindu construction, and the view down the "long-drawn
aisles" is singularly impressive. Much of the charm of the interior is
due to the quiet reserve and dignity of the decoration, which is nearly
all in the style of Arabian mosques, and may account for the statement
on the central arch, that "this mosque is a duplicate of the Holy Place"
(at Mecca).

At each end of the mosque there is a set of
five rooms for the mullahs who conducted the service; above them are galleries
for the ladies of the zanana. Spacious cloisters surround three sides of
the quadrangle; these are divided into numerous cells for the maulvis and
their pupils.The Baland Darwaza.--
The triumphal gateway, called the Baland Darwaza, is really a building
in itself. It must be seen from the outside of the quadrangle, for, magnificent
as it is there, it certainly does not harmonize with the mosque viewed
from the quadrangle. This mighty portal, 176 feet in height from the roadway,
is a landmark for miles around. From the top of it the Taj, twenty-five
miles away, and the distant Fort of Bharatpur are visible.

There are three doors recessed in the immense
alcove on the front of the gate. One is the horseshoe door, so called from
the numerous votive offerings of owners of sick horses, donkeys, and bullocks,
which were nailed on in the hope of obtaining the favour of the saint.
The doorway on the right of this has the following inscription carved over
it in Arabic:--

"His Majesty, King of kings, Heaven
of the Court, Shadow of God, Jalâl-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, Emperor.
He conquered the kingdom of the South and Dandes, which was formerly called
Khandes, in the 46th Divine year [i.e. of his reign] corresponding to the
Hijira year, 1010 [A.D. 1602]. Having reached Fatehpur, he proceeded to
Agra. Said Jesus, on whom be peace! The world is a bridge, pass over it,
but build no house there. He who hopeth for an hour, may hope for eternity;
the world is but an hour, spend it in devotion; the rest is worth nothing,"

Over the left doorway is the following:--

"He that standeth up in prayer, and
his heart is not in it, does not draw nigh to God, but remaineth far from
Him. Thy best possession is what thou givest in the name of God; thy best
traffic is selling this world for the next."

Akbar himself died four years after this great
sermon in stone was written.The Stone-Cutters' Mosque.

At the back of the great mosque is a graveyard
containing the tomb of an infant son of Sheikh Salîm. The legend
concerning him is, that at the age of six months he addressed his father,
telling him that all of Akbar's children must die in infancy, unless some
child died for them. He therefore had resolved to sacrifice himself for
the Emperor's sake, and immediately after this miraculous speech he died.
Jahangir was born nine months afterwards. Sceptics have suggested that
he was really a son of the Sheikh, substituted for a still-born child of
Mariam Zamâni.

Some distance beyond this tomb there is a
small mosque, built in honour of the saint by the quarrymen of Fatehpur,
before he had attracted the notice of the great Emperor. It is called the
Stone-Cutters' Mosque, and is supposed to have been erected on the site
of the cave where he lived the life of a hermit It is an unpretending little
building; the brackets which support the cornice are the only noticeable
architectural features. They are direct imitations of wooden construction,
and are copied, with greater elaboration of carving, in the marble shrine
inside the Jâmi Masjid. The cell where the saint is said to have
lived is on the right-hand corner of the mosque.

The birthplace of Jahangir is pointed out
in a dilapidated palace not far from this mosque. It is occupied by a lineal
descendant of Salîm Chishti, and is only rarely shown to visitors.The Houses of Abul Fazl and
Faizi.

The houses where these two famous brothers,
the friends of Akbar, lived, are close under the north wall of the great
mosque. Their father, Sheikh Mubarak, was one of the most learned men of
the age, and the sons were as distinguished as the father. Faizi was the
Persian Poet Laureate, and tutor to the Royal Princes. He was also employed
on many diplomatic missions. Abul Fazl was the author of the celebrated
"Akbarnâma," a history of the Mogul Emperors down to the forty-seventh
year of Akbar's reign. He was for a long time Akbar's Prime Minister; he
took a prominent part in the religious discussions inaugurated by the Emperor,
and often discomfited the orthodox followers of Islam with his arguments.
Sheikh Mubarak drew up the famous document declaring Akbar to be the Head
of the Church, and both his sons subscribed to it. Abul Fazl declares that
the document "was productive of excellent results: (1) The Court became
the resort of the learned men and sages of all creeds and nationalities;
(2) Peace was given to all, and perfect tolerance prevailed; (3) the disinterested
motives of the Emperor, whose labours were directed to a search after truth,
were rendered clear, and the pretenders to learning and scholarship were
put to shame."

Notwithstanding his high character and generous
disposition, Abul Fazl had many enemies at Court. He was at last assassinated
at the instigation of Jahangir, who believed him to be responsible for
a misunderstanding between himself and his father.

There is nothing architecturally interesting
about the two houses, which have been for some time used as a *Zillah*
school.

N O T E S

/14/
It is known that in 1575 Akbar completed a great building at Fatehpur,
called the Ibadat Khana, or hall in which the learned men of all religions
assembled for discussion. It was described as containing four halls, the
western for the Sayyids, or descendants of the Prophet; the southern for
learned men who had studied or acquired knowledge; the northern for those
famed for inspired wisdom: the eastern hall was reserved for the nobles
and state officers. Thousands of people from all quarters of the world
assembled in the courtyard. The Emperor attended every Friday night and
on holy festivals, moving from one to the other of the guests and conversing
with them. Keene, in his "Handbook to Agra," suggests that possibly the
Dîwan-i-khâs may be the building thus described (taking the
word aiwan, or hall, to mean a side gallery), as no other building at all
answering to the description now remains at Fatehpur. This supposition
is highly improbable, if only for the reason given by Edmund Smith, namely,
that an assembly of this kind would not take place within the precincts
of the palace. The description given by Abul Fazl and Badâyûni
clearly indicates a building like the Dîwan-i-âm, enclosing
a great quadrangle.

/15/
Keene suggests that Akbar's first wife and cousin, Sultana Raqia Begam,
lived here, but she was a Muhammadan. It is quite possible that the name
of Jodh Bai (Princess of Jodhpur) really refers to Mariam, and not to Jahangir's
Rajput wife (the daughter of the Raja of Jodhpur), as is commonly supposed.
Miriam's family resided in the province of Ajmir, which adjoins Jodhpur.
She might have been known as the Princess of Jodhpur. In any case, it is
easy to see how a confusion might have arisen between Jahangir's mother
and his wife, both Hindus and Rajputs.

/16/
Birbal's house is now used as a travellers' rest-house for high officials
and "distinguished" visitors; which is not only very inconvenient for the
undistinguished who may wish to see it, but involves alterations which
should never be permitted in buildings of such unique artistic and archæological
interest. Neither the Daftar Khana nor this building should be devoted
to such purposes, merely to avoid the paltry expense of providing proper
dak bungalows.